The 68th annual IEEE-IAS/ACA Cement Conference will take place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on 26 - 29 April 2026.
For the latest information on the event visit: www.cementconference.org
Cement 2050
Robert McCaffrey gave a presentation on 'The US cement industry in the wider context' (including a journey through the entirety of space and time) at the IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Technical Conference in Birmingham, Alabama, USA on 7 May 2025
No registration required - click on the link below to download the PDF file
Some things never change, but in the years to 2050, we can expect profound shifts in societies, demographics, technologies, business and the environment. All of these factors will have huge effects on the cement and concrete industries. Using data from a wide variety of sources, here Robert McCaffrey of Global Cement Magazine gives some suggestions on how the global cement industry will look in 2050.
Presentation given at the 66th IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Technical Conference, Denver, Colorado, USA on 30 April 2024
View the video of Rob McCaffrey's presentation at the IEEE in Denver in 2024 on YouTube
Gallery from the 67th annual IEEE-IAS/ACA Cement Conference 2025
The 67th annual IEEE-IAS/ACA Cement Conference 2025 took place on 4 - 8 May 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama.
2nd Global CemProducer Conference & Exhibition on cement and clinker trade, process optimisation and maintenance
'State-of the-art process optimisation for future-proof cement production'
Dates and location to be confirmed
#CemProducer
Join the Global Cement LinkedIn group
Call for Papers
This is the call for papers for the Global CemProducer Conference. The Conference will concentrate on the specific topics given in the list of topics below. The conference organisers are interested to hear from companies or individuals who are interested in presenting a first class paper at the Global CemProducer Conference. All presentations will be 20 minutes in length, with an additional 10 minutes at the end of each presentation for questions and discussions. All presenters should use PowerPoint software.
Conference topics: Trade & Technology; Transport & logistics; Industry 4.0; Process optimisation and control; Sensors; Fuels; WHR; Captive power generation; Energy storage; Electrical energy efficiency; Environmental technology; Refractories; Wear and maintenance; and Project management & finance
Following delegate feedback, equipment manufacturers and service providers wishing to speak are requested to partner with a cement producer employee (eg Heidelberg Materials, Holcim, Cemex, Ash Grove, Anhui Conch, Votorantim, Dangote etc) to author their paper in which case the cement producer must be one of the named authors on the paper.
Presenters must register for the conference. Confirmed cement-producer-speakers can register for the conference at no cost.
In the first instance, all prospective presenters should contact the conference convenor, Dr Robert McCaffrey, with a title and author list , as soon as possible, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. All confirmed presenters should then closely follow the instructions for presenters.
Authors should either download the conference presentation template by clicking here or should add the conference logo below to each of their own slides.
The deadline for receipt of the 100-word biography and finalised PowerPoint file for the Global CemProducer Conference proceedings volume will be confirmed in due course.
Thank you for your efforts!
Tips for speakers
We’ve had the pleasure of sitting through literally thousands of presentations over the years. In that time, we have seen some really terrific presentations, where the audience was literally on the edge of its seat, and where listeners waited for every utterance as if their lives depended upon it. We have also heard a few presentations that were not so good. We thought we would take the opportunity to give a few hints to potential speakers...
What not to do...
Don’t give an advertisement. The audience didn’t pay to come to the conference to listen to you trying to sell them something. They really hate this (we know, they tell us). Tell the audience something useful that they can take home. In fact, if you give them something useful and interesting, then the audience will forgive many other failings - but they won’t forgive you trying to sell them something for 25 minutes (and they won’t forget it either). Keep your company information to ONE slide.
Don’t read from a script, even if you think you need to. One of the best presentations we ever saw started as a deadly-dull script-based talk. Half way through, the presenter lost his place and did the rest from memory - it was excellent (he went on to win the best presentation prize...).
Don’t stand too close to the microphone: think of your listeners. You wouldn’t shout in their ears... and standing at sensible distance from the mike also avoids ‘popping,’ where a pronounced ‘p’ can make an amplified booming sound.
Don’t have too many slides: We once saw a presenter try to get through 125 slides in 25 minutes (that’s 12 seconds per slide). 25 slides should be your absolute maximum.
Don’t try to be too clever. If you get lost in your own powerpoint, you will have lost your audience a long time ago.
Don’t talk too fast, especially if you have a strong accent. This applies to native-English speakers as well!
Never ask for questions in the middle or at the end: Questions in the middle break up the flow of your talk. Even if you have given a good talk and you ask for questions at the end, you will inevitably be confronted by an embarrassing silence. At the end, simply say “Thank you very much.” There will be applause: Then the chairman will ask for questions. Simple.
Don’t try to get too much information across: If you can only get the audience to take home three pieces of information (which might still be asking too much) consider which three are most important (to you*)...
That thing about ‘tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you’ve told them’? Don’t bother. Please just spend your time telling us your interesting story - we don't need to be told it three times. Also, you might need to know the underlying structure of your talk, but we probably do not.
What to do...
Follow the instructions for authors - supply all the materials and hit all the deadlines (the conference convenor/moderator is your friend... don’t rile him!)
When you get to the conference, check to make sure that your presentation runs as you expect it to (including any movies).
Familiarise yourself with the lectern/computer/microphone/laser pointer etc well before your alloted presentation time. On the day, don’t blame anyone else if you didn’t do your homework!
Tell a story. All good presentations have a start, a middle and an end. Often it might be ‘We had a problem, this is what we did to fix it and this is how it all turned out.’ Or it might be ‘The industry is in this situation, we’ve invented machine X, this is how it can benefit you.’ Or 'This is the way the industry was, these are the current trends and this is what the industry will look like in X years.' A good talk needs a structure. Take the audience on a journey - tell us a story.
Use pictures or video to help tell your story (but make sure that you have supplied your video in a format that can be used by the conference computers).
Think about your audience at all times: What will make them listen to you and take on board what you are telling them?
Content is king: *Think about what the audience will find most useful as a take-home as well.
Make all slides readable from the back: I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard “You might not be able to read this, but...” If in doubt, leave it out. Better still, make graphs or infographics out of your tables of numbers. Tables of numbers in a presentation are a waste of space and a wasted opportunity.
Open your mouth to let the words come out. Use your voice carefully: not too high or too low, not too fast or too slow: speak carefully and be aware as well of the power of silence.
Use body language if required: connect with your audience (for example by trying to look into the eyes of every one of your listeners at least once during the presentation). Wandering about will distract your audience from your message. Never walk down the central aisle to speak from behind the front-most members of the audience - it is creepy!
Smile: the audience wants you to succeed!
If you follow our tips, you will be in with a chance of winning the ‘Best Presentation Award.’
Good luck!
2nd Global CemProducer Conference & Exhibition on cement and clinker trade, process optimisation and maintenance
'State-of the-art process optimisation for future-proof cement production'
Dates and location to be confirmed
#CemProducer
Join the Global Cement LinkedIn group
The programme will be updated in due course
Outline programme:
'Pre-day'
08.00 Exhibition build
15.00 Exhibitors have access to the exhibition room
16:00 - 20:00 Registration
18:00 - 20:00 Welcome party in Exhibition area
Conference day 1
08:00 Registration opens - Coffee and networking
09:00 Conference welcome and Introduction, Robert McCaffrey, conference convenor
Session 1
10:45: Meet the exhibitors session: Exhibitors have an opportunity to introduce themselves to the audience
11.00 Coffee and networking in the Global CemProducer exhibition area
Session 2
12.30 Meet the delegates - Introduce yourself to the rest of the audience!
13.00 - 14.00 Lunch
Session 3
16.00 Coffee and networking in the Global CemProducer exhibition area
Session 4
18.00 Conference session ends
18.30 onwards: Global CemProducer Dinner
(Dress code: Business attire or smart casual)
Conference day 2
Session 5
08.45 Registration opens
08.55 Welcome back - Conference convenor
10:30 BLUE SKY BRAINSTORM Session - Form small groups to address some of the biggest challenges in the cement industry!
11.00 Coffee and networking in the Global CemProducer exhibition area
Session 6
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch
Session 7
15:30 Coffee and networking in the Global CemProducer exhibition area
Session 8
17.00 Final comments
17:10 Farewell Reception and prizegiving
19.00 Conference close
Programme 2023
Please note that keynotes and presentations have been allocated their time slots according to when they were first fully confirmed for inclusion at the conference.
Monday 13 March 2023
16:00 - 20:00 Registration and Covid testing (delegates take a test on arrival - retesting is not required)
18:00 - 20:00 Welcome party in Exhibition area
Tuesday 14 March 2023
08:00 Registration opens - Coffee and networking (Covid-testing for new arrivals only)
09:00 Conference welcome and Introduction, Robert McCaffrey, conference convenor
Session 1
09.10 Paper 1, Keynote 1: 'Cement plants of the future – which one please?’ Matthias Mersmann, KHD Humboldt Wedag International AG
09.35 Q&A
09.45 Paper 2: ‘Responsibility - Reducing the carbon footprint with Cement 4.0,’ Dirk Schmidt, KIMA Process Control GmbH
10.05 Q&A
10.15 Paper 3, ‘Continuous in-situ gas analysis for DeNOx/SCR optimisation- a case study,’ Tobias Egle, SICK AG
10.35 Q&A
10:45: Meet the exhibitors session: Exhibitors have an opportunity to introduce themselves to the audience
11.00 Coffee and networking in the Global CemProducer exhibition area
Session 2
12.00 Paper 4, 'Costs and carbon reduction in cement supply chains,’ Stefan Sommer, INFORM
12.20 Q&A
12.30 Meet the delegates - Introduce yourself to the rest of the audience!
13.00 - 14.00 Lunch
Session 3
14.00 Paper 5, Keynote 2: 'Fives’ carbon strategy in the cement industry,' Loïc Pottier, Fives FCB
14.20 Q&A
14.30 Paper 6: ‘Future-proof refractories,’ Peter Steinkellner, RHI Magnesita
14.50 Q&A
15.00 Paper 7: 'How to improve equipment effectiveness with prescriptive condition monitoring,' Adebiyi Adewole, Dalog Diagnosesysteme GmbH
15.20 Q&A
15.30 Speed-dating in the conference hall - Delegates have the chance to make many new 'real-world' business contacts - bring your business cards!
16.00 Coffee and networking in the Global CemProducer exhibition area
Session 4
16.30 Paper 8: 'Dust Suppressant, a sustainable solution to prevent heavy dust exposures,' Klaus Holz, FUCHS Petrolub SE
16.50 Q&A
17.00 Paper 9: 'Turning data into dollars: avoided downtime and improved reliability using artificial intelligence,' Scott Ziegler, CemAI, Inc.
17.20 Q&A
17.30 Paper 10: 'Increasing the profitability of waste heat recovery projects in cement plants: integrated project development and financial services,’ Siavash Barkhordar, Charles Huguet; Enertime
17.50 Q&A
18.00 Conference session ends
18.30 onwards: Global CemProducer Dinner
(Dress code: Business attire or smart casual)
Wednesday 15 March 2023
Session 5
08.45 Registration opens (Covid-testing for new arrivals only)
08.55 Welcome back - Conference convenor
09.00 Paper 11, Keynote 3: 'Ways cement plants can transition to Green,' Bodil Recke, FLSmidth
09.20 Q&A
09.30 Paper 12: 'Dynamic analysis and approach to reduce acoustic vibrations of a cement mill,' Tarek Nasr, vnplan
09.50 Q&A
10.00 Paper 13: 'Predictive maintenance and smart lubrication to increase cement plant reliability,’ André Schmid, Schaeffler
10.20 Q&A
10:30 BLUE SKY BRAINSTORM Session - Form small groups to address some of the biggest challenges in the cement industry!
11.00 Coffee and networking in the Global CemProducer exhibition area
Session 6
11.30 Paper 14, Keynote 4: 'Technologies to decarbonise cement production by 2030 - a global review,' David Boyd, Carbon Re
11.50 Q&A
12.00 Paper 15: 'Future-proofing cement process optimisation with ABB Ability Expert Optimizer,' Ryan Koorts, ABB
12.20 Q&A
12.30 Paper 16: 'Smart software solutions for future-proof automated logistics in cement production,’ Simeon Fahrner, Axians IAS
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch
Session 7
14.00 Paper 17: 'The future of conveying has started yesterday,’ Robert Henry Morris, Aumund
14.20 Q&A
14.30 Paper 18: 'Optimised quench cool solutions in cement production using CFD simulation,’ Stefan Markus, Spraying Systems Europe
14.50 Q&A
15.00 Paper 19: Mill optimisation: Pure AI is not the solution’, Adlan Omer, aixprocess gmbh
15.20 Q&A
15.30 Paper 20: ‘Future-proof safety services and solutions for bulk material conveyor systems,' Heiko Bach, Schmersal
15.20 Q&A
15:30 Coffee and networking in the Global CemProducer exhibition area
Session 8
16.00 Paper 21: ‘'IKN’s recent turnkey projects in Germany – competence in pyro technology,’ Frank Lichomski, IKN
16.20 Q&A
16.30 Paper 22: Closing Keynote: ‘Recent state-of-the-art upgrades at Heidelberg Materials’ Burglengenfeld plant,’ Bernhard Reindl, Heidelberg Materials
16.50 Q&A
17.00 Final comments
17:10 Farewell Reception and prizegiving
19.00 Conference close
Thursday 16 March 2023 (confirmed)
Post-conference field trip to HeidelbergCement's Burglengenfeld cement plant
Participants must bring their own safety shoes/boots
('Rigger boots', with wide tops, are not acceptable)
07:30 Departure from conference hotel.
10.00 Approx - Arrive - toilets, coffee.
10.15 Introductory presentation from plant management (+ questions)
10:30 Split into three groups to tour plant
12:30 Gather together again - Lunch at the plant
13.30 Leave plant, latest
The bus will stop at Munich airport before returning to the conference hotel. Approximate time of arrival at airport is 15.15.
16.00 (approximately) Return to hotel
2nd Global CemProducer Conference & Exhibition on cement and clinker trade, process optimisation and maintenance
'State-of the-art process optimisation for future-proof cement production'
Dates and location to be confirmed
#CemProducer
Join the Global Cement LinkedIn group
Please feel free to download the following media for your own promotional use:
(Windows - right click and choose 'Save as' - Mac - drag and drop)
| Global CemPRoducer Conference 2024 logo: Width 554pixels, size 67k |
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| Global CemProducer Conference 2024 block: Width 554pixels, size 187k |
| Meet us at Banner: Width 900pixels, size 100kb |
2nd Global CemProducer Conference & Exhibition on cement and clinker trade, process optimisation and maintenance
'State-of the-art process optimisation for future-proof cement production'
Dates and location to be confirmed
#CemProducer
Join the Global Cement LinkedIn group
Delegates are responsible for booking and paying for their own accommodation during the conference. It is strongly recommended to stay at the conference hotel for easy access to the event.
SCAM WARNING
We understand that a company calling itself Exhibiting Housing Services (or similar) has been contacting some of the delegates and exhibitors, trying to prompt them to make their hotel booking over the phone. This is a scam. Please do not give anyone your credit card details over the phone. You are likely to lose your money and be left with no hotel room! Book only using the procedure on this page. WE WILL NEVER CALL YOU TO BOOK YOUR HOTEL ROOM!
